Kristin Barber was a New Haven Republican for nine years, serving on the GOP Town Committee. On the busiest grassroots night so far in the 2016 presidential campaign, she joined crowds of New Haveners Wednesday launching local efforts to propel a socialist to the White House.

While her counterparts in Connecticut’s other top cities are waging bruising battles for reelection, Mayor Toni Harp won the Democratic Party’s unanimous endorsement for a second two-year term at a drama-free convention.

The convention took place Wednesday evening inside Career High School’s auditorium.

Nitza Diaz “hurts” to see English language learners (ELL) struggle to grasp the material, because she was there, too, as a teenager from Puerto Rico. She said she’s running for the Board of Education elected position in part to make the district’s ELL policies more consistent across all schools.